As a woman born in the sixties and growing up in the eighties, I never could have imagined that I would be sewing a classic white wedding dress for my daughter.
What can I share about this? Apart from nice pictures.
The best part was the fun of doing it together with my daughter. It was nice to spend those hours together, focused on the creative process of making an important garment for her. It was an unforgettable time of sharing memories of transitions I had gone through myself. Including the hopes, fears, and tears that had come with them. Starting working life, becoming parents, refurbishing houses, moving, and the role our parents had played back then.
Of course, I was nervous about the result, even more so because we had less than two months! That is why I negotiated a very solid plan B with her before agreeing to start this project. The short deadline was not for any of the usual reasons (nobody is pregnant, a different kind of Plan B), but because my daughter and her fiancée were very excited to finally be allowed to marry after years of bureaucratic hurdles. Plan B was to go to one of those shops that help people with short deadlines for any kind of reason and get a one day fitting, cash and carry kind of dress. Apart from wedding dresses.
Do you also need a good Plan B every now and then, to manage your stress levels?
Making the dress was also technically out of my comfort zone. It included many sewing skills I never really mastered. Like a fitted bodice, invisible zipper, and silky white material. When I was learning to sew as a teenager in the seventies, it was all about loose fits and complex pockets. So we did some mock-up versions for this dress (and even more zippers). Luckily, I still get thrilled when I learn new sewing techniques. So I enjoyed those mock-ups too. My daughter and I bought a pattern online. We went to the store to buy fabric. Together, we picked and practiced different little touches with the use of instruction vlogs. We also made sure to clean the floor over and over again to protect the white fabric.
Even though some of the techniques were new, and it’s the first time one of my daughters is getting married, it felt very natural to me to do this together. Not just because it is my hobby and passion. I knew many people who had made their own wedding dresses; many of my friends had done this themselves. But as the wedding neared, I heard over and over again that making The Dress together was very special. This made it even more exciting to be using my modest passion for her Big Day.
Of course, they both looked astonishing. Family members were wearing the same little white flowers that we had made to put in my daughter’s hair and match her outfit with her wife’s dress. The silky flowers were such a nice finishing touch on the men’s lapels. In the beautiful pictures, no one can see all the things that went wrong. I guess that is why we take pictures, to capture the beautiful memories.
And yes: we really enjoyed the compliments of guests and friends!
Photo credit to Shirley Visser!! <3
